Baking With Children

Baking with a child. Need I say anything more to bring images of flour-covered kitchen walls and crunchy, egg shell-laden baked goods to the front of your mind!? One bit of advice I always give after making a masterpiece with my children: "chew carefully".  When I was little, I remember diving into culinary projects with my mom, plastering my face to the oven door to watch the delicious chocolate morsels melting into the golden brown masses of sticky, gooey goodness.  A thought has crossed my mind, now that I am the mom in the generation. Did my mom have a hard time parting with the beaters? It's like a torch passing ceremony when we can no longer lick our own beaters, because some little nose picking, sticky fingered progeny has planted their little flag in our mixing bowl, like Columbus discovering the New World! I wont spoil their enthusiasm by telling them that I've already been there and done that!

In all honesty, I am happy to make the sacrifice.  To me, there's nothing better than being in the kitchen on a cold day, the tunes of an old crooner coming from the stereo, delicious smells coming from the oven.  The little voices, asking if they can add the baking soda, just make that experience so much more meaningful, and so much warmer, not to mention entertaining! Especially with some of my favorite holidays quickly approaching, in my family, the kitchen has always been a place for gathering, a place for laughter, and a place to stuff your face with as much unhealthy food as possible! 

All chaos aside, baking with children is a bit of a legacy. I have it flowing through my veins thanks to my Mom, and now, hopefully, my children will have the same inclination toward the kitchen because of these messy, wonderful moments together.  Just mother, offspring, and mixing bowl. A little love goes a long way!